Beyond Time
by mellifluous misery
Summary: Time shrouds all roads in darkness and uncertainty.
1. within the eternal prison

_within the eternal prison_

Off the rocky coast of Johto there lies a small island, home to the prosperous city of Alto Mare. It's not called the City of Water for nothing, as it is filled with canals crisscrossing the entire island. There are no roads for cars on Alto Mare, which has allowed it to remain pristine and pollution-free.

Thanks to its strategic location between Hoenn and Johto, Alto Mare's commercial seaport is the third largest in the world. Such a large port is no place for small seacraft, of course, but after receiving countless petitions from fishermen the authorities had installed a series of smaller docks on the far side of the island, where fishing boats would not be menaced by titanic container ships. In stark contrast to the eternal hustle-and-bustle of the seaport, the docks were generally rather quiet, seeing only the activity of a few fishermen coming from and going out to sea. Hardly anyone noticed the girl who appeared so regularly there.

Every new day found the girl on the docks with the easel, sketching the landscape of the city before her. Rain; sun; lightning; or even the rare snowstorm, each day the girl would dutifully bring her easel and canvas out on the bridge to begin her work.

Seasons came and went; years flitted by, as slowly but surely, decades slipped away. Those who saw her regularly wondered why she never seemed to age, why she seemed a perennial twelve year-old. But they, unlike her, became caught up in the ravages of time and passed on.

Lorenzo had passed away many years ago. Bianca moved away from Alto Mare with a husband, her last words to Latias a light promise to visit. The timeless Eon dragon had nodded, despite knowing that she wouldn't. Other herds of Eons arrived from time to time, and tried to keep her company. But they never stayed.

It had been some six decades since the boy with the pikachu had first set foot on the island and captivated Latias. Still on the bridge she waited for him, but knowing in her heart of hearts that he was gone. She would have left to search for him, before old age claimed him, but she was bound to stay here, as guardian and prisoner of the island, bound by birthright and a promise - a century-old promise to her brother.

* * *

Full of vitality. That was the truest way to describe the boy… and his pikachu. They had traveled lands far and wide, but never, ever did they tire. But now, aboard the ferry to Alto Mare, they settled down. Their present peaceful disposition was a rare sight; normally both would be bouncing up and down in excitement.

The ferry's horn blasted as it drew into port, sending smaller ships and a few stray fishing boats scurrying for safety. As the large ship pulled up alongside the dock, the boy and his pikachu were the first down the ramp. He paused for a moment at the edge before finally stepping onto land. For an instant, he appeared unusually pensive. Then he smiled. "Pikachu," he whispered to his friend, "we're finally here."

* * *

 _"No… I'm Ash, of Pallet Town. I'm a pokemon trainer. Pikachu is just my partner. We just followed her in here!"_

 _"Sounds suspicious. Latios, get them!"_

Voices. Latias had been hearing voices in her head lately. Especially when she roamed the lonely expanses of the Secret Garden, chasing dreams of friends long gone.

She missed them. Who knew what had happened to Bianca in Kanto? She longed for company; but as the years had passed, the few who had known her, who had known of the Secret Garden, had all left the island or died. The legend of the island's Eon guardians survived only in the stories of elders. And even the Eon herds' visits were few and far in between now. Her only contact with the outside world, the daily trips to the bridge, had lately diminished in appeal. A kindly old man, who would always offer her a smile as she went her way in the morning, had recently departed - from the island or from the world, she could not tell.

On this day, Latias, guided by the voices in her head, retraced the path she had took on that one special day, almost seventy years ago. Taking the form of her once-young best friend, she made her way to the faucet where she had first met Ash.

She was surprised to find a young trainer, in his early teens at most, operating the tap, allowing a joyous pikachu to wash himself. Latias rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things again? No, they were there. She hesitated to continue closer. Even in her disguised form, she rarely approached humans on her own. But there was- something… about the two that drew her in. An atmosphere of friendship - of familiarity - pervaded the air. It seemed to fill her with a quiet strength. The boy was still watering the pikachu, speaking in low, pleasant tones to his pokemon.

Abruptly the boy shut off the tap and looked up, finally noticing the girl to his side, staring at him. He waited for Pikachu to hop onto his shoulders before standing and approaching the girl.

Latias found herself captivated by the boy's eyes. Shockingly amber eyes, reminding her of a very special friend from her past. Part of her idly wondered if it was him. But reason quashed that thought, insisting, It's been seventy years; he would be as old as Lorenzo was by now.

So engrossed was she in the boy, she didn't notice a loose tile and tripped. Blinking back tears restrained for far too long, she was startled to find the boy standing over her, offering a hand. Hesitantly, Latias took the proffered hand and stood up again.

Noticing her tears, the boy stiffened in anxiety. He was never very good at reassurance. Years of traveling with others had taught him that much. "Hey… there's no need to worry. Everything will be alright…"

Nodding, Latias dried her eyes with a hand. She wished she could speak in her human form, so she could ask the boy about his past, but could only offer a wavering smile. But as though he had heard her thoughts, the boy spoke at that exact moment.

"I'm Ash. I'm from Pallet Town, and here's my partner, Pikachu…"

He offered a tentative grin.

"...what's your name?"


	2. tales from a northern land

_tales from a northern land_

To the distant north lies the Sinnoh region, a land where vast mountain ranges lie covered in snow for the entire year. It is here where legends tell of deities that govern time and space itself - Palkia, ruler of space, and Dialga, ruler of all time. Less known are three beings that are said to patrol the land eternally - Azelf, bringer of willpower; Mesprit, guardian of emotion; Uxie, keeper of knowledge - the Lake Guardians.

Small though they may be, these legendaries supposedly give rise to all human nature; indeed, the nature of all things living. Without them, people would be reduced to little more than primitive savages. Strangely enough, the homeland of these deities - snowy Sinnoh - has seen nary a trace of them for many long years. Long enough that there have been whispers that the legendaries were once again roaming the world to give the human race a new look at their nature, just as the old fables had told they would one day.

If anyone took a close look at the city of Alto Mare on this day, they would have seen something just slightly out of ordinary. The port, as usual, was certainly very busy. But normally, the workers trudged about loading boxes onto ships in an almost robotic manner - to them, it was just a very demanding but low-paying job, nothing more. Productivity was usually high; morale, on the other hand, was rock bottom. However, today, a different atmosphere held reign over the docks. It was abuzz with chatter, and the workers went about their jobs with noticeably more spirit. No longer did it seem that robots, rather than people, were loading the ships with cargo.

The same was evident with the elsewhere in the city. Children, filled with daring, played dangerously close to the canals, heedless of their mothers' warnings. Interestingly, a significantly higher-than-average number of marriage proposals were recorded. Everywhere in the city, a sense of resolve gripped the inhabitants.

There are only a few people in the world to which these signs would have meant anything, and had any of them been around to bear witness, one thing would have been clear to them: Azelf, apostle of willpower, had arrived.

* * *

Alto Mare's resident eon dragon, however, was hardly interested in old Sinnoh myths. Much more pressing to her was the undeniably genuine presence of the trainer before her - Ash. That and how he seemed nigh unchanged from that day almost seventy years ago, when she had seen him off to adventures new on the docks.

Watching the girl standing motionless before him, Ash cocked his head in vague curiosity. In all his long years spent roving the wide world, he had never met anyone who had reacted thus to his presence - _recognition_ \- for he had taken care to space his return to old places with many years between. Idly he wondered, did _he_ know her? He cast his thoughts back - back to a time, seven decades ago - when he had last visited the island. A time when existence had been… simpler.

Back when the world still made sense.

 _A mute girl_. Yes, yes - he remembered now.

" _This is… Latias."_

Ash smiled lightly as he remembered his old friends' reactions to his introduction. Misty had practically cleared her chair, while Brock - ever so knowledgeable and wise in the ways of the world - had merely given a knowing nod. Yes - he remembered it all.

Lost in thought, Ash continued staring into space until Pikachu gave his leg a gentle nudge forward. "Oh - yeah."

"Latias…?" he inquired, uncharacteristically timid. He was taken aback when the girl leapt at him and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Wh-"

After a few wordless moments, she silently released him and stood back, giving him a long, curious look. "Oh. Um, right. You probably want to know wh- no, how I'm here, right?"

She nodded. Ash couldn't help but sigh.

"Let's take a walk, Latias. It's a long story."

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **4/10/17: edited ch.1, added ch.2**


	3. different paths

_different paths_

The setting sun distinctively tinted the buildings by the sea a bright hue of orange. A pair, seemingly children, walked along the edge of the concrete forest, their shadows growing ever longer on the walls. He spoke softly, but Latias was a good listener.

* * *

Half an ocean away, another girl silently wished Azelf were still around. The affair of emotions could be so… draining, at times - certainly a little motivation would help her get going again. They had once been partners at length - there are no two things more closely intertwined than emotion and willpower - but he had chosen to walk a different path.

It was tiring, tiring to heighten the joy of the new parents at the hospital, tiring to deepen the sorrow of the mourners at the funeral. Tiring, but all too necessary. And so she carried on.

* * *

"...and after that, I headed off to Sinnoh," Ash was saying. The strange trio passed by a darkened alley. "Sinnoh is t-"

Whatever he was about to say about Sinnoh was never revealed, as the rest of his words was cut off by a loud Snarl - Pikachu cringed and shot off angry sparks - and a houndoom bounded in front of them. Latias shivered slightly and grasped Ash's arm at the sight of the dark type. They turned around, hearing footsteps in the gloom of the alley. A ragged looking man, wearing a fisherman's overalls, stepped out. "Nice work, Houndoom. Just a pair of kids, eh? Don't look like they'll have much, but it's always worth a shot, isn't it?" He gave a short, barking laugh and took a menacing step forward. They were cornered.

Before Latias could react and fly them to safety, Ash, hot-blooded as always, took a step forward. "You're not gonna get away with this," he declared.

"No? Of course I am, _kid_ ," the man retorted, stressing the last syllable. "Then I'll teach you a thing or two about how the world really works!" He sounded surprisingly bitter for a crook.

Ash's voice softened uncharacteristically. "I already know. Your motivation… " He seemed to concentrate for a moment. "They took your boat, didn't they? That's why you're here, isn't it?"

In his confusion, the threatening aura about the man all but evaporated. "Huh?"

"And you can't support your family anymore, without that fishing boat? All because you missed a payment?"

Shocked, the man took a step back. "I- my- but- how do you know that?!" His tone turned bitter again. "Confound those Arceus-damned businessmen! They're all croo-"

Ash cut him off with a wave of his hand. "You know, maybe you should try the bank. I'm sure - no, I'm certain - that they'll help you." He turned away. "C'mon, Latias, Pikachu. Let's go."

Surprisingly, the man simply stood there, staring at the ground with a mixture of anger and confusion, as his would-be victims slipped away. A few moments later they heard him cry, "But- wait! Ho…" His voice trailed off in the distance.

As they left the scene, Latias again caught herself staring at her companion. He was right about the bank, of course. But very few outsiders knew of the policies of the Bank of Alto Mare, and it was hardly something a young teen - not even one almost as old as she was - would be interested in. Just - who, exactly - had Ash become?

* * *

He was a teacher now. In a sense, this was the perfect position for him; people came to him seeking to learn. But sometimes on dark nights he would look to the moon and reminisce of the time when he traveled across many lands to dispense knowledge to those who sought it. And on the very darkest of nights, when even the moon was obscured by clouds, he would wonder about his two past companions.

Companions who had chosen to walk a different path.

* * *

It took quite some time before Ash, absorbed in telling his story, noticed the odd, scrutinizing way his female companion gazed at him. He stopped abruptly. Pikachu had chosen the wrong time to climb on his hat and promptly fell off.

"Sorry," he said, not addressing the aggrieved rodent. "It just feels a bit weird, walking together with someone again after all these years."

Latias nodded in understanding and looked at him, willing him to go on.

"The last time was maybe twenty years ago," Ash continued, "I've been alone since then."  
He paused again. Why?, Latias wanted to ask. Why did you set off alone? You'll always, always have friends somewhere.

As though he had heard her, Ash turned a peculiarly piercing gaze onto Latias.

"You know, I didn't ask for this life," he said in a low, sad voice. Then his voice grew stronger. "But I _did_ choose to walk _this_ path-" he hesitated, searching for the right description.

"-a different path."

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **4/12/17: ch.3 posted, minor syntactic edits to ch.1 and ch.2; added ch. titles**

* * *

 **AN:** **some feedback would be nice, fairly uncertain as to where I'm going with this. chapters do feel a bit short.**


	4. abandon hope-

_abandon hope-_

Emotion is a fickle thing, and it was only in her nature to flit from place to place, like a leaf caught on the wind.

She had been in Eastern Hoenn just half a day prior; now she found herself wandering about the deck of a magnificent passenger ship - strangely enough, named after desert flora - crossing the ocean to Johto. A soft, saline breeze brought some welcome respite from her weariness. She didn't know why she had hopped aboard the ship, acting on a whim long since faded. There was a time when she traveled with guided, sincere purpose, but now, without anyone to steady her, she roamed to-and-fro, with decaying purpose and no direction, living up to her carefree nature. She barely felt perturbed when the wind grew stronger and the seas started hurling ever-larger waves against the ship.

There was a storm coming, but she simply embraced the wind.

* * *

On the bridge, the captain of the vessel was feeling nervous. Far more nervous than he should have been - he felt like he was once again a twenty five year-old rookie, commanding his first ship against the onslaught of what had been his first storm, not a veteran sailor of some thirty years. As storms went, _this_ one wasn't even that large. To a ship as large as his current command, the choppier seas were simply a nuisance. He reassured himself of this fact. But it was futile. Try as he might, he simply _couldn't_ shake the growing feeling of dread.

The storm was markedly unremarkable. Rain and the heaving deck had driven all but the hardiest of passengers indoors, but such an insignificant battering hardly presented a threat to the ship. The captain, however, had other ideas.

"Divert heading by fifteen degrees to the east," he called. This would hopefully swing the ship into the waves and alleviate the slight - but worrying - rolling the ship was presently experiencing.

"Aye, sir."

It worked; the ship stabilized. The captain allowed himself a small smile and felt his confidence flowing back. He relaxed onto a chair, and was still feeling fairly confident when a tremendous grating sound filled the entire ship. Briefly startled and confused, he soon realised what had happened and cursed his own stupidity. In his anxious haste to avoid damage to the ship, he had forgotten to consult the navigation charts when correcting the ship's course - instead of safeguarding his ship, he'd set it on a course to doom. Now it had run aground on a dangerously rocky patch, while still being battered by the wind and rain. Riding high out of the water, there was no telling if the ship would capsize.

He turned to his stunned crew. "Send out a distress signal. We need to evacuate, now!"

* * *

She was still feeling the wind in her rain-soaked hair when the ship's PA system crackled to life, asking passengers to come on deck to prepare for evacuation; they were abandoning the ship. Immediately after the address, she felt a surge of panic wash over her. But it wasn't her own fear. Rather, she felt the fear of the passengers aboard the ship, amplified a thousand times by their sheer number. As she turned to comply with the direction, she shivered and stumbled slightly, her usual serene facade shattered. The foreign fear continued to eat away at her very being.

No, no, no. She couldn't give up now - not now, she couldn't, she _musn't_ \- for the sake of every soul aboard. She was their very hope itself. If she faltered…

But for all her efforts, slowly, inevitably, as hope clashed with fear, the more primal emotion triumphed. Eventually exhausted, she fell to the soaked ground with scarcely a whimper, lost in terror. An all-encompassing darkness gradually overtook the entire vessel.

* * *

Ash woke with a start. Something distinctly… _horrible_ had happened. He stood and peered out the window, where Pikachu joined him. Dawn had just broken over the land; the sun's first rays were barely spilling over the ocean. Yet, despite the tranquility that surrounded him, Ash felt a sense of unease - as well as a strange urge to move. He walked over to where Latias was sleeping. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of his agitated steps, and she looked up, blinking.

"Latias. I need your help. Can you take me, um… somewhere in Alto Mare."

Latias stared blankly at him, confused.

"Please." He knelt and held one of her claws. "It'll make sense once we get out there, I promise."

With some reluctance, she levitated off the ground and shifted into her human form. Ash nodded. "Let's get going, then."

* * *

The ship was now an abandoned, desolate wreck. At some point in the night, the wind had indeed toppled the vessel onto its side. The once majestic, now shattered, hulk lay there lifelessly, mostly submerged, a titanic testament to the savagery of nature. Most of the occupants had managed to evacuate onto lifeboats before the ship had partially capsized. But by the time the first responders from Alto Mare's Port Authority - where the closest ships were located - arrived, there just two, partially filled lifeboats left drifting in the wake of the storm.

Airborne search turned up no evidence of the remaining eighteen in the vicinity.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again, the world had turned from black to white. Even the sky - a pure, utterly featureless, white. On closer inspection, she realised it was just a ceiling. She looked around. Her clothes were featureless and white. The bed she lay in - featureless and white. The walls imprisoning her - featureless, white.

Oh, but there was a window!

She hopped off the bed, ignoring the sharp pain that coursed through her body - she'd be fine before long, she knew. Walking over to the window, she saw a large, seaside city. It didn't look familiar at all. The sky was certainly not white, however. The rising sun painted streaks of orange across the cloudless azure expanse.

Turning away from her cursory inspection of the city, she noticed that the small table by the bed wasn't quite as white or featureless as her preliminary inspection indicated. There were drawers. Driven now by a sense of curiosity, she hurried over and pulled them open one by one. All three were filled with official looking documents, but what drew her attention was the seal near the top of each page. General Hospital of Alto Mare, they read.

Alto Mare… while she didn't know the city, she knew the name. She'd heard it somewhere before. Probably a story someone had told her - she used to love stories - long ago. But what mattered now was that she was registered in a hospital. This was unfortunate, and would probably lead to some fairly interesting questions once the authorities turned up. But there was no need to worry - she would just disappear again, like she had always done. Then, maybe she would go find some nicer clothes again.

She gave an involuntary cry of surprise when she heard the door open, and spun around, ready to flee. But it wasn't a doctor or a nurse at the door. Or even a sailor.

It was a familiar dark-haired boy. Just looking at him, she felt her exhaustion fade away, replaced by sensation she hadn't felt for a long time. Resolution.

"Hello," he said emotionlessly. "What brings you to Alto Mare, Dawn?"

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **4/14/17: ch.4 is up, minute syntactic edits to ch.3; updated summary**

* * *

 **AN: discovered that it's hard to make chapters long (but properly aerilated) without sufficient sources of dialogue. one sided conversation hardly counts.**


	5. -lost souls who enter here

_-lost souls who enter here_

Ash's new companion was an enigma, Dawn decided. He had neglected to introduce them, choosing instead to forge ahead, Pikachu at his side, while they timidly tagged along. The other girl hadn't spoken a single word yet, but at times turned around to give Dawn an inquisitive look, just as she was doing now. Dawn returned the look. _Who are you?_

She could only feel a childlike curiosity emanating from the girl, but somehow Dawn felt her presence was far, far older. Older than she herself was, even.

But that was just a silly thought.

Right?

She saw that Ash was rapidly receding into the distance. "Wait!" she called.

* * *

In the evening, another storm blew over Alto Mare. The seas frothed and lashed against the city's sturdy seawalls. The group, now numbering four, was well sheltered within the confines of a sparsely furnished room in the Pokemon Center.

Ash had claimed a ledge on the window frame, sitting away from the others. He silently listened to the endless drone of raindrops on the window. Thunder sounded in the distance, making Dawn flinch.

Suddenly, Ash broke the turbulent silence. "Maybe… it wasn't… the right path. Maybe… it was all… just a mistake," he mumbled incoherently. He sounded defeated. "I need a walk. I'm going outside."

"But - it's still raining outside…" Dawn offered feebly. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "It's fine. I'll be back. I'm really… sorry, Pikachu."

With that thought, he disappeared around the door. Pikachu had half-heartedly hopped across the room, but on hearing his trainer's voice, stopped. Something was different. Ash wanted to be alone.

Dawn was concerned. She could feel the turmoil in his emotions as he left the room, a stark contrast to the _certainty_ that had always emanated from him when they had last walked together. Someone could change a lot in twenty years, she knew, but still… He had been perpetually cheery and determined - a beacon of light who lit up the world all around her, a far cry from this tired individual who had just left the room, sighing sadly.

Worried, she turned her focus to the dejected pikachu, who sat there wondering when his trainer would return. "Come here, Pikachu," she gently coaxed.

The electric rodent turned and looked at her, no sign of recognition on his little yellow face. This one was still young. She mentally berated herself. _It's been twenty years, you poor old fool._

Ignored by Pikachu, inevitably she found her attention drifting towards the other occupant of the room. The strange, unreadable girl.

* * *

Latias was intrigued by the newcomer. Ash had mumbled something about an old friend as she had led him through the canals and bridges of Alto Mare in the morning. When they had finally turned up at the hospital, he had asked her to wait by the door with Pikachu, and promptly vanished into the recesses of the building without another word. Half an hour passed before he re-emerged with the girl - he called her Dawn - in tow.

Strangely enough, they didn't exactly act like old friends. Ash had hardly spoken another word after that. No one had mentioned the wrecked ship. No one had asked _why_.

In fact, no one had talked at all.

* * *

Their eyes met.

 _Who are you?_

They found themselves with the same thought. As the sound of rain seemed to grow ever-louder, Dawn began to feel her own hesitation creep to the surface. She could feel the other girl's doubt, too. Realising that this hesitation would lead to no progress at all, she decided to speak up.

"Hey… I'm Dawn. I, uh, traveled with Ash. A long time ago." She tried to make her voice brighter. "Who are you?"

She was only slightly annoyed when the girl remained mute.

"Err… do you know what's up with Ash?"

The only reply was the sound of the continuous rainfall. The other girl gazed at her silently, in almost a melancholy manner, for a while, then turned away without a word. Dawn shrugged and committed herself to defeat, her thoughts quickly pivoting back to Ash.

She'd never seen him, one who was practically the definition of motivation, in this resigned state. There was a possibility - the thought danced uncertainly at the edge of her thoughts - maybe, just maybe, he'd lost his way. Dawn herself had questioned the point of their task at darker times, but… this was _Ash_. The same boy whose sheer indomitable spirit inspired all those around him, starting from the very beginning of his journey, six decades prior. How - how could he falter now?

No, it wasn't possible, she decided. Yet, already in a tiny, unconscious part of her mind, she had begun to entertain the thought as true.

 _How_ , she wondered unknowingly, _do you motivate the embodiment of willpower himself?_

* * *

In a land far, far away, the teacher was perplexed to find himself suddenly struck with the same, peculiar thought.

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **4/18/17: added ch.5; syntactic edits to chs.1, 3, 4**


	6. eternity's children

_eternity's children_

The wind lashing tiny needles of rain into his body felt, oddly enough, refreshing. As he walked alongside the deserted canals, Ash quietly contemplated his past.

He used to think that winning was everything. But then he had started actually winning - Kalos was just the first, as years of experience started building on themselves - and quickly realised that was not the case. Ash smiled, with just the slightest trace of bitterness, at his old naïveté.

The pile of titles that he had built up was vast indeed. Kalos Champion. Sinnoh Champion. For a little while, Kanto Frontier Brain. There were countless others. He even thought himself a Pokemon Master, the most powerful trainer in the world, for a time. But it was all just icing on a cake that he discovered he never wanted decorated. They meant nothing to him now.

Was it friends, then? They certainly had made him happy. Then he discovered that friends hardly lasted forever. No, not even close to forever - they vanished all too quickly into the wide world. Even the ones who were the most like him, his closest companions. They, too, eventually disappeared, leaving him alone to wander the world. In the end, it was always just him, just as it had been for the past twenty years. Always just him. Alone.

 _But_ , a small, but familiar - and irrational, he supposed - fragment of his mind interjected, _you'll always, always have friends somewhere_.

He shook his head to clear it of the stray thought.

Duty was the sole thing that had kept him going. Ah, yes - his task was certainly a momentous one - to give his once-brethren a new look at their natures. What motivated them.

For the longest time, Ash had sought to be remembered - remembered as someone important, remembered as the _best_. Yet, ironically enough, as he was burdened by his most critically important journey yet, time had cruelly erased all but the faintest memories of his existence. Now he was forgotten by all but a few.

There once was a time, many years ago, when his task still felt purposeful. A time when he still smiled at inspired youngsters - for they reminded him of himself - and silently nudged them towards success. Now he simply felt - empty - when looking at the results of his influence. No joy. None of that old sense of accomplishment. Just… nothing.

Maybe that was why he found himself on Alto Mare. Perhaps he had come, seeking his old sources of inspiration. But time had once again marched on, leaving behind nothing in the city for him. Except for one, singularly distinct, old friend. Her. But _why_ had she stayed? The new world was peaceful, conflict almost nonexistent. Her role as guardian of the city, surely, was one more in name than in practice. She should have been free from this empty city long, long ago.

Perhaps… it was time for him to search in other places. Yes - he would head home, wherever that was.

Problem was - whenever he introduced himself as Ash of Pallet - he was lying.

Pallet Town no longer existed, its residents having long since left to seek out new fortunes in the larger metropolises across Kanto as the agriculture industry declined. But maybe he would find answers there, amidst the lonely, abandoned, buildings. Maybe.

He turned around and started back towards the Pokemon Center, his mind set. The vague sense of resolution he felt from his decision gave him a few fleeting moments of enjoyment. Then it was gone, leaving him to again ponder unanswerable questions.

* * *

Dawn wondered when Ash would be back. She had seen him this way before, vanishing to recollect his thoughts. But she also recalled that he had also once slipped away from their lives in this manner, disappearing without a trace while out with his pikachu. It'd taken her a few years to find him again, half frozen - but not to death, no, for death was something that was _beyond_ them - on a snow-capped Sinnoh mountain. But that was when they were still young - young and childish.

Once, when they were still young, they had held hands and promised to stay together forever.

But then, they had been children. And now, they were old.

* * *

Before long, he found himself back in the Pokemon Center again. Ignoring the nurse's friendly greeting, he hurried past the front desk, towards where his room was located. Surprisingly, it was as he had left it, slightly ajar. He peeked inside. Latias was perched upon a table, examining the ground with apparent interest. Pikachu was curled up next to her, asleep. Though she was still hidden behind the door, Ash could feel Dawn staring right at him. Waiting.

At his slight shove, the door gave way. Even in his sleep, Pikachu quickly picked up the faint creak and awoke. With a happy squeak, he leapt back onto Ash's shoulder. For the little rodent, all was right with the world again.

As he had anticipated, Dawn was indeed looking right at him. "You're back," she noted. The concern in her voice was audible.

"But not for long," he answered. "I've decided to head back to Pallet."

Latias looked up in worry. Ash was already leaving, after all this time? She gave an inaudible sigh of disappointment.

Dawn, on the other hand, was unfazed. She knew that he, like her, tended to wander. It, too, was in his nature.

His next words surprised even himself. "Any of you want to come with me?"

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **4/30/17: added ch.6; syntactic edits to chs.1, 5**


	7. where the heart lies

_where the heart lies_

Home.

For most of the peculiar little group, a rather foreign concept.

Alto Mare, certainly, remained a thriving and vibrant city. But they all felt it, especially the city's guardian herself. There was nothing there - and nothing _to_ there.

* * *

For Pikachu, home was on the road with Ash. He'd never known anything else, never wanted anything else. It made Dawn curious, how Ash had found such unswerving loyalty - again.

* * *

For the rest, changing demographics had condemned many of the small, homely towns they once knew to the same fate as Pallet. Depopulation, then inevitable obscurity. Twinleaf Town had escaped for the time being, perhaps only because of the Coordinators' Museum that had been established within its boundaries. Tourists, aspiring coordinators and rookie trainers from all over Sinnoh and even other, foreign lands were drawn to its humble premises. For now, they granted Twinleaf a stay of execution.

Interestingly enough, the very one who had unknowingly contributed so much to the museum - as had her mother, of course - did not know of its existence. When she was last in Sinnoh - home - Twinleaf was still flourishing, the museum little more than an idea in the minds of a few. Now - she would be saddened if she ever learned - it seemed as though the museum _was_ the entire town..

* * *

The lords of the weather were kind when the group crossed the sea to Kanto. Not even the slightest trace of a cloud appeared over their heads the entire way. Perhaps, an apology for the storm off Alto Mare? More than likely not - these deities were more capricious than Emotion herself. She had been like a leaf in the wind, but they were the wind _itself_.

Pallet used to be quite close to seaport they disembarked from. For the spry youngsters that they seemingly were, it was hardly a day's walk before they reached the formerly iconic split in the road between paths to Pallet and Pewter. Now there was only one well-paved route curving to the right. Trees and grasses had reclaimed the left path, but the old footprints still visible in sparser patches of grass belied its true history.

With a faint, distant smile on his face, Ash stepped away from the other two to examine the faded white sign before them. Unsurprisingly, it was still taller than he was - even if he reached up, he could scarcely touch the top of the sign. The arrow pointing towards Pallet had been painted over long ago, but the dark letters were still visible under the layer of white.

In a somewhat hazy voice, he said, "It's… this way, I guess. Let's go."

Still unsure of his intentions, they followed him without a word. He had been behaving ever more erratically during the trek towards Pallet - Dawn could've sworn she felt vestiges of happiness in him from time to time. Perhaps it was the sense of returning to a long-lost home? She didn't know. She didn't mind - only the _teacher_ hated not knowing.

The sky grew ever darker as they forged on, as night fell over the endless hills of Kanto. They had been walking for another hour when Ash abruptly halted. Following closely behind him, Latias was unable to stop in time and knocked him over. Her eyes widened in surprise and she bent over apologetically, extending a hand to the fallen boy.

On seeing her horrified expression, he hastened to mollify her. "No need to worry," he mumbled, standing up. "I was just thinking… I think we're almost there."

After looking around, they both gave him a confused glance. Though it was quite dark at this point, they could still see no signs of any human presence in the hills surrounding them - not even the empty houses of an abandoned town. He inferred as much from their expressions.

"Look," he said, and pointed into the distance. A tiny prick of light could be seen high over a distant hill. "That must be the old lab," he continued, as though that cleared everything up. "Let's hurry up."

They soon reached the hill. The light was evidently located at the top of a antiquated windmill, part of a larger complex of sophisticated looking buildings. From their vantage point, they could see Pallet Town in its abandoned entirety - house after empty house, acres of fields left unplowed for decades. But what caught - and held - their attention were the clearly artificial lights that were inside the windmill-complex. Someone, it seemed, was still home.

They found an old man standing by the open door. Ash gave a small grunt of recognition when he saw the man. His companions, however, were bewildered. What sort of person lived alone on the edge of a dead town? Dawn decided to speak up.

"Sir…" she called. Ash cut her off with a swift glare, but the damage was done. The man turned around with a startled look. But when he set his eyes on Ash, his eyes twinkled and his entire expression seemed to shift into one of… recognition?

"Well, well," the old man said in a reedy voice. "I thought I'd never live to see the day… if it isn't _Ashy_ -boy. You know, I think you've gotten a bit taller."

"You know I haven't," Ash snapped in reply. "And how many times do I have to tell you to not call me that!"

The old man pretended not to hear him. "Oh, are those _friends_ of yours, hiding back there? This is momentous! Why, you simply must invite them inside at once!"  
"I don't have friends," Ash retorted grimly, but with uncertainty evident in his tone.

The man ignored him and set about herding the small group through his door. He took a particular interest in Latias and peered at her shrewdly. "Hmm. You look new. Who are you?"

She offered a nervous smile and edged away slowly, trying to catch Ash's attention. The boy seemed to notice her plight and moved to head the old man off. "Gar-, sorry, - _Professor_. She's just a… friend. You don't… you don't have to bother her."

The man turned to stare at Ash. His cheerful voice turned stern. "That's a load of drivel, Ketchum, and we both know that. You wouldn't just bring _any_ old person to here of all places, in the middle of nowhere, would you? So - what are you all here for? Finally decided to help me with my research?"

Ash shuddered and took a step back. "O-of course not! Go find someone else to be your lab rattatas. Not us - we're not freaks!"

The old man - professor, as Ash called him - looked visibly disappointed, even crestfallen. "Oh… Then - what's your problem?"

Without the slightest hint of amusement, Ash looked up at him. "My problem? Can't believe _you_ haven't figur-"

"Stop that!" the professor cried irritably.

"Fine, fine," Ash muttered. His voice grew even lower. "The problem. Well - it's me."

* * *

 **Changelog**

 **5/13/17: hesitantly posting ch.7; ch.6 modified slightly more than syntactically this time**

* * *

 **AN: this chapter feels strange - maybe a bit out-of-place? it might get re-written at some point.**


	8. the teacher

_the teacher_

He'd been here as long as he could remember. Or _wanted_ to remember, for his memory - and knowledge - was infinite when he wished. He was happy here, he thought - his sense of purpose had never felt stronger, disseminating all that he knew to the peoples of the world. But lately he'd started feeling something different, something he hadn't felt in literal ages - he had to search far, far back in his memories to identify it - loneliness. But as quickly as he identified it he realised the feeling had been there all along - gnawing away at him, unnoticed.

He had not felt fulfilled for years. Never mind teaching, bringing his knowledge to others - that just supplied a false sense of purpose. For years he had been burdened with the sensation of a dream deferred. To think that he hadn't even realised it till now! This genuinely surprised him - he had thought that there were no secrets left to him. But it was as easy to revisit a part of his endless pool of knowledge like turning back the pages of a book as it was to miss out a single sentence - or a whole paragraph - in the book.

Emotions had never been his strong suit, regardless. It wasn't his duty to concern himself with them.

Nonetheless he found himself wondering how difficult it would be to shed this foreign, aching feeling - to turn back the clock to a time when it was all but unknown to him. As much time as had elapsed since his younger years, it still remained a possibility. But the world was truly a vast, expansive place, and there was no telling how long it would take to find the other two again.

The bell rang, and as he watched his students file out of the room, he came to a decision.

* * *

The dean looked sadly at the man standing before him. As young as the man was, he had consistently proven himself to be the among the most well learned of anyone on the faculty, not to mention his popularity among the students. He would be missed.

"Are you sure about this?" the dean asked.

The teacher nodded. He handed the dean a stack of papers. "Here's the paperwork. I have urgent matters to attend to, abroad," he explained calmly. "Family matters."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the dean replied. He set down the stack of papers and offered the teacher before him his hand. "It's been a pleasure, Dr. Harrison."

"The pleasure is all mine."

* * *

Walking through the doors of the school for the last time, the teacher realised how little he knew of what laid ahead of him. It was temptingly easy to just find the next place to settle down, new students to work with.

But now was time to move forward again. Sometimes living off memories just wasn't enough.

* * *

 **Changelog: 10/4/17: ch.8 is up**

* * *

 **AN: not dead. this chapter feels like a cop-out, probably because it is.**


End file.
